Sgt. Mike Needham, center, takes a photo of an accident on Route 101 in Temple, which left the drivers of both vehicles injured, while fire crews assist at the scene. Purchase photo reprints at Photo Finder »

TEMPLE — A Massachusetts woman was transported by helicopter to UMass Medical Center in Worcester after police said her car crossed the center line and collided with a commercial freight truck on Route 101 in Temple Monday.

Shortly after 9 a.m., a red Hyundai Elantra, driven by Valerie Hatch, 70, of Danvers, Mass., was traveling westbound on Route 101 in Temple, near Powers Road and RE Marble and Granite, when witnesses saw the car cross the yellow line, according to Sgt. Mike Needham of the Temple-Greenville Police Department. Hatch’s vehicle collided head-on with a 2013 Freightliner truck driven by Ronald Rose, 49, of Nashua. The truck is owned by Admiral Metals, of Wooburn, Mass.

Both Hatch and Rose were the only occupants of their vehicles, and both were injured by the crash. Rose was conscious and aware at the scene, and had bruising and injuries to his ribs, Needham said in a phone interview Monday afternoon. He was transported by ambulance to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Nashua where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

Hatch was more seriously injured in the accident, and was transported by ambulance to Monadnock Water on Route 101 to be taken by DHART helicopter to UMass Memorial in Worcester for treatment. As of Monday evening, she was in the Intensive Care Unit in serious condition, Needham said.

Police did not comment on what caused the driver to allegedly go over the center line, saying only that the accident will be under investigation. When asked if speed, drugs, or alcohol were a factor in the accident, Needham said that it was too early to say definitively.

“We’re not ruling anything out at this point,” Needham said Monday afternoon. “The accident is still under investigation.”

Both vehicles were totalled and removed from the scene by tow trucks. Route 101 was closed over the course of approximately two hours while the scene was cleared, and reopened shortly before 11:30 a.m.

Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter at @AshleySaari.